Oblivion
by groovychika
Summary: AU. What happens when a routine mission makes the team's and, especially Sam's, worst nightmare become reality?
1. Chapter 1

Oblivion

Chapter 1 - Exordium

Author's note

This is the first fanfiction I've had the courage to post so please be as nice as you can.

Disclaimer:

Nothing here is mine, despite how much I wish it was.

It began like any other mission. Startled animals, strange vegetation and ruins. Lots of ruins.

As expected, Daniel wandered off to examine the collapsed buildings while the others covered his back. After a few minutes, Jack was bored of standing around doing nothing. Sure, the red plants were a nice touch, but when you've been to one planet, you've been to them all.

"So, what have we got?"

"Hmm? Oh, it's an old temple."

"Big surprise there."

The archeologist continued with an explanation that nobody asked to hear. "It's dedicated to Zeus, the Greek God of…well everything really."

Daniel pointed out the fairly modern plaque next to the crumbling ruins. "This says 'Hera, tired of Zeus' weaknesses, defeated him and took his throne'"

By now Sam was looking intrigued and Teal'c seemed to paying more attention.

"Who's this Hera then?" Jack asked, pretending to be curious.

"Zeus was well known for his affairs while his wife, Hera, was forced to endure it. Here it seems she got fed up and killed him."

"If Hera assumed control, it would make sense she ordered the temple to be destroyed." Sam reasoned.

Jack looked around the area. They were in the middle of a thick forest and, although everything was quiet, he had a bad feeling.

"What do the scans show, Carter?"

Sam examined her "doohickey" and smiled. "There's a considerable amount of naquadah in the soil, sir. There appears to be even more to the north."

"Where there's naquadah, there's company. Am I right?"

"I believe that would be an accurate statement" Teal'c said, raising his weapon.

"Kree!"

Jack sighed and put his gun on the floor. He hated it when his feelings were right.

They were completely surrounded with the wrong end of a dozen staff weapons pointed at them. Jack was annoyed that they'd been able to sneak up on the team without him noticing. The one obviously in charge gestured to the north and spoke.

"We are to follow them O'Neill."

"I kinda got that, T, but thanks anyway."

The further north they walked, the more populated it became, small towns becoming more frequent.

"I expect the people built their homes around large deposits of naquadah." Sam hissed from behind him.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Hey, any chance of a guided tour?"

The Jaffa nearest him barked something. "Kegalo!"

From the front, Teal'c translated. "He requests you do not say anything else."

They spent the next hour marching through woods and fields, towns and farms. Jack was just about ready to complain about the pace when they entered a large city. The local people pointed and stared at the foreigners but stayed well away. Their destination was a huge temple, magnificent in the morning light. The sun reflected off the white walls, making it gleam.

Daniel gasped and started babbling "It's incredible. Almost identical to the Temple of Hera in Greece"

It was pretty cool. About a hundred armed Jaffa stood guard around the building, watching SG1 with distrustful eyes.

Once inside the temple, the team was thrown roughly into a large room, full of gold and elaborate decorations, the main attraction being a vast throne

"It looks like some kind of reception area." Daniel said in awe.

He was immediately knocked down by a Jaffa. "Silence in the presence of your goddess!"

Wisely, they all kept their mouths shut. There were about 20 Jaffa in the room who had taken their weapons, leaving SG1 defenseless.

The Jaffa all fell to their knees as a woman entered the room. She was handsome but past her prime. Age aside, she still had that all too familiar arrogance in her stride.

"My lady, these four came through the Chappa'ai."

The woman sat on the throne and looked down at them. "What are you doing here?"

Daniel launched into his 'peaceful explorers' speech that had never really worked before while Jack examined the Goa'uld more closely. She had thick black hair that was streaked with grey and her hand trembled.

"Silence!" she cut Daniel off. "I know who you are. I have heard great things of you and am most glad you came here."

Her gaze fell on Sam and stayed there. The younger woman looked uneasy but held Hera's gaze defiantly. The 'god' clicked her fingers and four guards dragged Sam up to the throne.

Jack held back a shudder as Hera stroked Sam's face.

"What do you want?" the blonde spat, furiously trying to escape.

"My host is old and dying. None of the locals are suitable. They are weak, undeserving to be my vessel."

Sam nearly passed out at the implication

Jack started struggling at her words and earned a good few kicks for his troubles.

"You stay the hell away from her!"

Teal'c looked physically ill but did not turn away from the events unfolding before him.

"Take one of us instead!" Daniel's outburst came unexpectedly but lit a flame of hope within Jack's chest. If only they could stall Hera, they might be able to get out of this mess.

"Why would I want one of you?" she asked, sounding truly puzzled. "He is a shol'vah, you aren't even a warrior and his body will soon break down."

"I'm not that old," Jack protested.

"Besides, this one has information I could use. I believe you were once host to Jolinar."

Hera asked this as a question, but it was obvious she already knew the answer. A cold shiver ran down Jack's spine. When a Goa'uld took a host, they usually didn't have any information the parasite wanted. Sam knew everything about all the things Hera wanted to know.

Sam realized this a minute later. If she was implanted, Hera would use her body and knowledge to her full advantage. She would betray and kill all her friends and not be able to lift a finger to stop it.

She knew this couldn't be allowed to happen but the fear rushing throughout her body made it impossible to think.

Plans and ideas were racing through Jack's head but they all bordered on the highly improbable, requiring super strength or the Asgard to drop in at any second. They had been in worse situations before but this one seemed impossible to escape. None of them had any weapons and all of them were being restrained by at least four armed guards ready to die for their queen.

Hera took off her intricate necklace and handed it to her First Prime. She leaned closer to the panic-stricken Major so their heads were almost touching. She smiled wider, knowing and enjoying the pain she was causing all four of them.

"Watch as your goddess truly defies death."

Hot tears appeared at Sam's eyes and she blinked them away. She was too young to be possessed by a power hungry alien hell bent on galactic dominance. There were too many things she hadn't done, too much she'd left unsaid. Before she could begin to say some of these things, there was a blinding pain in the back of her neck that took her breath away and she couldn't help screaming.

She looked at her team one last time. Next time, it would be her eyes, but not her.

Then all faded to darkness.

The two women had their heads too close to see what was happening but Jack knew. Sam gave a heart wrenching scream and slumped to the floor. When she stood again and brushed away the Jaffa, it was with arrogance he had never seen. The old woman fell dead to the floor, forgotten and discarded.

Hera looked over her new body and a slow smile crept onto her face, but it was cold and hard. Sam's sky-blue eyes flashed an eerie yellow and when she spoke it was with the typical Goa'uld inflection.

"Release them"

Jack's heart leapt and when he looked at the other men, he saw similar hope in their eyes. Sam had been able to fight off the blending! Their optimism was short lived.

"Take word back to the leaders of your world. I have the combined knowledge of the Goa'uld, the Tok'ra and the Tau'ri. The end of your world is approaching and I will be the one to make it happen."

Author's Note:

Don't worry about the cliffhanger! I have already finished the 13 chapters and am working on a sequel. Please review if you want me to continue.


	2. Preoccupo

Preoccupo

Author's Note: This chapter is a bit shorter than the first one, but it is more of an explanation. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and special thanks to my beta, ChemicalNova, who I owe a lot.

This is an A/U but there are minor spoilers if that bothers anyone.

If anybody has any ideas for what should happen, I will be more than happy to listen.

"Please tell me I'm asleep and this is just a nightmare," Jack groaned after being dumped on the floor on the outskirts of the forest.

"You are indeed awake," Teal'c answered, getting to his feet a little more elegantly then the other two.

"That can't have really been a Goa'uld. Why would she have let us go?"

"She knows she has the advantage and she wants everyone else to know it too."

They walked back to the Stargate with heavy hearts, true hopelessness in their walk for the first time ever.

Everybody at the SGC knew something had happened when the team arrived. The three men, normally so confident and determined, were now broken. It showed in the slump in Teal'c's shoulders, the haunted look in Daniels eyes and the ten years added onto Jack's face.

General George Hammond normally enjoyed his job. Walking into the gate room and seeing his premier team in that state made him consider retirement.

"Report. Where is Major Carter?"

"She's…" Even Teal'c couldn't finish the sentence

"Dead?"

"No. Worse. Much worse."

With this statement, Daniel collapsed completely. He sank down, vacantly staring at the floor.

Jack was now looking around the room as if wondering where he was.

"Teal'c, what happened out there?"

"We arrived on the designated planet and were quickly captured by Hera's guards. They took us back to her temple where she was awaiting a new host."

"You mean…?"

Teal'c inclined his head. "Hera felt Major Carter's knowledge would be most beneficial in her plans of conquest."

"Jolinar?"

"Indeed."

"So we know have an enemy with everything Sam knows and what the Goa'uld knows, capable of attacking at any time?"

"That pretty much sums it up."

"How can we stop her?"

"Excuse me?" Daniel looked up from the floor.

Hammond sighed. "Go and get changed and we'll discuss this later."

30 minutes later

The team had changed and been checked out in the infirmary but their spirits had not improved. The remainder of SG1 was now in the briefing room with General Hammond and Dr Fraiser.

"You must understand the position I'm in."

"This is Sam!" Daniel pounded the table in protest. "How many times has she risked her life to save us? All of us?" And we're just gonna kill her?"

"You of all people know the extent of Sam's information. She could wipe us out at any second!"

"But Sam could still be in there!"

"Doctor, is that likely?"

Janet Fraiser was there not only as a doctor helping a patient, but as a woman trying to help her best friend.

"Well sir, we know it's possible. The Triad taught us that much. It's also possible for the symbiote to be removed without harm to the host."

"You're suggesting we go back to a hostile planet and fight an enemy with Sam's knowledge, risking everyone's lives?" Hammond asked incredulously

"Yes!"

"I'm sorry Doctor Jackson, that risk is unacceptable."

"Oh, for crying out loud"

"The longer Major Carter's memories are in Hera, the more of a threat she is. The quicker we separate the two, the safer we are." Teal'c rationalised

Hammond pondered this idea. "Let me talk to the Pentagon."

Author's Note: I am going to update about once a week if possible. I really don't want to be the kind of writer that leaves a story half finished and never comes back to it. Hope you enjoyed it.


	3. Turbatus

Turbatus

The men spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the base, not being able to settle at anything. Many personnel were annoyed at their presence but didn't have the heart to send them away. The news about Sam had filtered throughout the SGC and the whole atmosphere was subdued.

At around 1630 hours, the alarms started blaring. Jack, Daniel and Teal'c ran to the gateroom, mainly because they didn't have anything else to do.

"What have we got Sergeant?" Hammond asked, striding into the room.

"Unauthorized activity sir. No IDC."

"Close the iris."

The metal rim closed with a reassuring thud, only to shudder and strain open again.

"What's going on?"

"I…I don't know sir. It won't shut."

"Teams to the gateroom."

A dozen, fully armed soldiers appeared and pointed their weapons at the newly opened Stargate.

But nobody was prepared for what came through.

Sam, with flashing eyes and cocky smirk, entered the room. She looked every inch the Greek goddess in flowing amethyst robes and elegant jewelry.

Jack's heart jolted but he was only fooled for a second. This was no more Samantha Carter then she was a goddess.

The weapons remained trained on her as she surveyed the room. None of the soldiers knew what to do. In any other case, they would have opened fire by now but even Hammond was hesitant to give the order.

Sam's gaze was one of self satisfaction.

"I did not expect it to be this easy to break through your iris."

It was Sam's voice but with the inhuman distortion that made it so easy to identify the Goa'uld.

"It seems I underestimated my host's intelligence."

Suddenly, the sight of this parasite using his friend's body was too much for Jack. He ran to the gateroom, stopping only to take a gun off an airman in the corridor. He only wanted to shoot her in the shoulder. Immobilize her and take that damn snake out. But the decision was taken right out of his hands.

Sam raised her hand to reveal a glowing ribbon device, ready to use.

On cue, the soldiers opened fire, a hail of bullets heading for the blonde woman. There was an anguished cry from Daniel but Sam smiled wider as an orange force field made the bullets fall to the ground a meter away from her.

Then she gave a casual, almost careless wave of her hand and all of the men flew across the room, hit the floor and didn't move again.

"Thank you for aiding in my experiments. You have proved how simple it will be to conquer your world. To think, you are the famous Tau'ri everyone fears."

Somehow she managed to activate the gate and prepared to leave but Jack couldn't let her go without one more try.

"Carter?" he asked, following her up the ramp.

The light faded from her eyes and she stumbled. Jack held her up as she breathed heavily.

"You have to kill me. You don't know what she's going to do." It was Sam again, pleading with him.

Then there was a savage blow to his chest and he hit the floor.

Once more her eyes flashed, though she was less confident now.

"Kek! Kel'sha!" she hissed and vanished through the gate.

Author's Note: 

What do you think? Good? Bad? Let me know.

"Kek! Kel'sha!" is roughly translated as "Your death will be so"


	4. Cruor

Cruor

Author's Note

This chapter is a bit longer than the previous one.

Bastet is a minor System Lord who appeared in a couple of episodes. I am just borrowing her for my own purposes. Enjoy.

Before too long, all the injured soldiers were in the infirmary. Jack was being treated for bruises but compared to the others, he was lucky. Many of them had several broken bones and several men hadn't even gained consciousness yet.

"Not that damn penlight! I have bruises on my chest! How will looking into my eyes cure them?"

Jack knew he was unfairly taking his anger on the doctor but she was more then capable of handling it.

Everyone was now in the infirmary, talking things over.

"What do you suggest now after that display, Doctor Jackson?" Hammond asked.

"Well, she didn't actually kill anyone..."

"From what I hear, they would have been killed if they weren't wearing helmets!"

"I wasn't wearing a helmet and I'm not dead," Jack mumbled.

"She didn't throw you half way across the room! What did Major Carter say as she left?"

"Roughly translated, it means 'Your death will be so.' Something like that."

The General sighed. "I think we have to accept that it isn't Major Carter anymore."

"It was for a second. When she stumbled, Sam came back and asked me to kill her."

Everyone looked at the Colonel

"Are you sure Jack? When she fell, I just thought the power she used had worn her out. Maybe she was tricking you."

"How would asking me to kill her be a trick! Anyway, I've worked with Carter too long for me to not know her."

"Is it possible for a host to regain control Teal'c?"

"I have heard such legends when the symbiote is injured…"

"But Hera wasn't injured." Daniel interrupted.

"However, if such a thing is possible, I am certain that Major Carter would be the one to achieve such a task."

"I think we may need the Tok'ra's help with this situation."

"Oh, great!" Jack scoffed. "I can see that conversation. 'Hey Jacob, how are you? By the way, your daughter has a snake in her head!' "

"That's precisely why I'm leaving you to tell him."

Jacob Carter took an hour to arrive and when he did, he knew instantly there was something wrong. No fool, he immediately noticed the absence of his daughter.

"Where's Sam?"

"Um, we went on a mission this morning…" Daniel began.

"She's been Goa'ulded" Jack finished.

To his credit, Jacob stayed calm, although a muscle in his cheek did begin to twitch quite violently.

"By who?"

"Hera."

Once again, they were gathered in the briefing room, where Daniel was giving them some 'brief' information on the Goa'uld.

"Hera was the queen of gods. She was seen as inferior to Zeus and was often punished and humiliated by him. She never forgot a slight or injury against her and delivered terrible punishments to her enemies."

"Ok, thanks for that Danny. Any good news?"

"Well, she did manage to break through; even it was only for a minute."

"Sam took control? How?" Jacob asked desperately.

"We do not know. Hera seemed most shaken by it."

"What do we do now?"

Jacob's head sank and when it rose, his voice was distorted. "Hera wants complete control and she has the power to take it. We must ensure this doesn't happen."

"She'll expect anything we throw at her." Daniel argued.

"So, let's do something she won't expect." Jack said, a vague plan emerging in his mind.

"Like what?"

"Me, Jacob, Danny and T go back there."

"What?" Daniel looked scared to be involved in this crazy idea.

"Maybe we can somehow get through to Carter again. If we cant, it doesn't really matter because she's gonna kill us anyway."

Hammond looked unconvinced at this plan but didn't have any other option. "In the morning, Colonel."

Sam wept bitterly in the small corner of her mind she now occupied. How many of those soldiers had she killed? And the Colonel, was he still alive?

Hera was furious now, at her. Sam hadn't meant to gain control; it had been of much as a surprise to her as it had been to Hera. She had tried to fight the blending but it was fruitless, apart from that five second exception.

When Jack had called her name, a wave of pure emotion had overridden Hera's control and it frightened the parasite. There were certain thoughts, certain memories that the alien wasn't interested in or didn't find important and this was where Sam hid. She had an idea of how she had been able to regain control. The Goa'uld only knew anger and hatred. Seeing Jack had caused feelings of hope to rise up. Sam filed this weapon away from Hera's prying eyes in the hope of one day using it to be free of the monster.

Although Sam didn't have the power, she could still see Hera's thoughts and it sickened her. Scenes of death, torture and carnage floated past her eyes and, worst of all, Sam knew it would happen to the people she cared about.

Hera spent the rest of the day strengthening the defenses and weapons on the planet using her host's expertise. She used a different Jaffa for each different device and slaughtered them when they were done. If nobody knew how the machines worked then nobody could betray her.

Already, Sam had felt the death of countless victims, the blood running thick and warm down her arms. Apparently, Hera preferred the 'up close and personal' approach to murder. It hadn't' been long since she'd been blended but there were hundreds of Jaffa who had heard of Hera's new host and sworn their loyalty to her.

"My lady." Her First Prime Nil'ac came into the room, bowing low. "The System Lords wish to speak to you."

Hera smiled. It was evening now, and she had been expecting this call for a while. She dismissed Nil'ac and activated the communication device on her wall.

"Greetings Hera"

"Bastet."

Looking distinctly uncomfortable was Bastet, a lesser System Lord who wouldn't meet Hera's eyes.

"Are the System Lords scared yet?"

"Of course not! We just wished to reconsider our decision about your position on the council." Bastet protested.

"Don't insult us both. You have heard of my new body and realize the threat I pose. You regret your choice to banish me from the Council."

"No, not at all..."

"You have a planet full of naquadah and strong Jaffa, many of whom have already joined me. I will destroy you Bastet. Of this you have my word."

Hera terminated the link and sat on her throne, debating. Which of her enemies should be first to die? Which planet should be first to fall?


	5. Captus

Captus

Authors Note: Nothing is mine.

0400 hours

Jack stumbled into the comissary in search of caffeine. He'd found it difficult to fall asleep and when he had, his dreams were full of Sam screaming and begging for him to kill her. To his surprise Teal'c and Janet were already there, looking as tired as he felt.

"Couldn't sleep either?"

"I was unable to kelnoreem correctly."

"What time is the mission?" Jack asked, grabbing a cup of coffee.

"0900 hours"

"I want to go with you." Janet's face was pale but her voice was steady and full of determination.

Jack had his doubts about her idea but kept them to himself. Who was he to stop her? He merely nodded his head and they sat in silence for an hour until Daniel joined them.

"Hey guys."

Janet pointed at the folder he was holding. "Found anything?"

"I was doing some more research on Hera, looking for a weakness but there doesn't seem to be any."

The four friends sat together, each lost in their thoughts.

At 08.55, all five of the roughly assembled SG-1 was in the gate room, ready to leave. Janet and Jacob looked uncomfortable in the uniforms: Janet was more accustomed to her doctor's coat and Jacob had spent the last two years in the traditional Tokra attire but neither of them mentioned it.

"Bring Major Carter home," Hammond said simply. "Good luck and God speed."

Hera laughed as a machine in her throne room flashed. Someone had just come through the Stargate on her planet. And she knew exactly who it was.

Jack stepped through the gate and was shocked to see the rest of his team unconscious. "What the hell…?"

Then something hit his shoulder and he passed out.

He woke up to a blinding headache.

"Are you okay?" Daniel asked.

"What happened?" Jack said, trying not to throw up.

"It was a trap." Janet answered. "I think we were shot with tranquilizers."

"The Tau'ri are indeed wise" a voice said mockingly.

Jack cursed to find himself once again in Hera's palace.

"Let me see… you have no major weapons on you so you did not intend to destroy me…and these people you have brought… Could it be you are trying to appeal to my better nature?"

"Actually we just dialed the wrong address. If you want to let us go now…"

Hera laughed. "I have memories of all of you: Jack, Daniel, Teal'c, Janet and….Daddy."

"Sam." Jacob pleaded.

"Ha'taaka!" Hera spat. "Too long have the Tokra been a thorn in my side. Now I have the means to wipe you all out."

"We just want to talk to Sam." Janet said.

"My host is dead."

"Really? Then who did I talk to yesterday?"

The fury on Sam's face was terrible to behold. "Di'dak dida!"

Hera strode over to Jack, her hand device exposed. "You would make an excellent addition to my Jaffa army. Would you like that honor?"

"Sure, but the dental plan sucks and there's the whole killing innocent people thing…"

The next thing he knew was a flash of light and an unimaginable pain in his head. Teal'c and Jacob threw themselves at the Goa'uld but she just kicked them aside.

"My lady?"

The pain stopped as suddenly as it had started and Jack fell down gasping. Janet rushed to his side while the others stared at the newcomer.

It was Hera's First Prime, looking nervous.

"I apologize for interrupting, my queen. Your troops are in position."

"Excellent." Hera said, completely forgetting her prisoners. "Continue."

Jack was now worried. Where were her troops? Over Earth? On their way to the Tokra home world?

"Are you attacking Earth already?"

Hera responded with a sneer in her voice. "No, I will take my time with your miserable planet. It is first important to regain control."

Then she turned and addressed her Jaffa.

"Lock them up to await my return."

Soon, they found themselves in a small, dirty prison cell. It was only lit by a few torches and things were crawling around in the corners. Jack immediately started to investigate the door they had been thrown through. It was made of strong metal and there were no guards, clearly they were confident of the security.

"Great plan Jack," Jacob said sarcastically, looking in disgust at his surroundings.

"Well I didn't see you volunteering any brainwaves."

"What was that Hera said about control?" Janet asked, trying to stop an argument.

"If Hera wishes to gain total power, she must first destroy the System Lords." Teal'c supplied.

"Can she win?"

"I do not believe she would attempt such a task if she was not capable."

"Aha!"

Jack was looking triumphant with a piece of metal in his hands. He had found a loose joint in the door and forced open a gap big enough to escape through.

"Hera obviously doesn't have all of Sam's intelligence" he gloated.

They were nearly at the exit of the giant temple when Jacob spotted a small room with their packs in. He pointed it out to the others "We'll need a GDO."

Quickly and quietly, they overpowered the lone Jaffa and left the palace, slightly more upbeat.

"My lady, the prisoners have escaped."

Hera was watching a massacre on her screen when Nil'ac burst in with this news. He was afraid that the goddess would take her rage at this news out on him but he needn't have worried.

"I know," she said casually.

"But…how?"

"You think I would put them in that miserable excuse for a prison without any guards if I wanted to keep them? Now they are on their way back to their planet, full of confidence and certain that I can be beaten. This will make my conquest so much sweeter."

Authors Note:

Please review!

"_Ha'taaka_" is a Goa'uld insult and "_Di'dak dida_" means "You dare?"


	6. Calamitas

Calamitas

They had spent two hours sneaking through the forest towards the Stargate, avoiding any sign of life. At the edge of the trees, Jack gave up and crashed through the bushes whistling.

"Jack, what are you doing!" Jacob hissed.

"Think about it. She knew exactly when we arrived here but somehow we managed to outwit her, escape from an unguarded prison and 'conveniently' find our packs?"

Everyone stopped as the truth in Jack's words sank in.

"Why would she let us go?" Jacob asked.

"No offense Jacob, but I could never figure out Sam when she was human let alone with a snake in her head."

Daniel glanced around nervously. "We should go."

"I concur"

Hammond looked eagerly for signs of Sam but his face fell when he saw she was still absent.

"Debriefing in 5 minutes. The infirmary can wait."

The team dumped their packs in their quarters and went to the briefing room.

"So she just let you go?" Hammond asked. "Why?"

Something occurred to Daniel. "Our packs"

"What?"

"There must be something in our bags. Why else would she let us go?"

Jack went pale and, without a word, everyone ran to their quarters.

Halfway down the corridor, an explosion knocked them to the floor.

Coughing out ash, Jack moved closer to the destruction. Sparks jumped around from the broken lights and the whole block of quarters was destroyed. Nobody had been in there at the time but people who had been walking past were unmoving on the ground. Bricks and rubble were everywhere.

A small black box that was completely undamaged caught his eye.

"Jack, maybe you shouldn't touch that."

Despite Daniel's warning, he picked it up. It hummed and a holographic figure of Sam popped out.

"If you are hearing this, then my 'surprise' has had its effect. I am disappointed in your stupidity. You thought you could escape my clutches that easily? This device will not have done much. It may have blown up some of the quarters but I doubt many are dead. This was merely to prove my power. I will kill each of you personally. And I will relish the taste of your fear."

The next 12 hours passed in a blur. Jacob had to report back to the Tokra High Council and everyone else spent the time helping the injured. Hammond had to make 7 heart wrenching phone calls to inform people of the loss of their loved one 'in the line of duty.'

"It's awful." Daniel said in the commissary. "It looks like Sam but it isn't her."

The others nodded absently. Watching one of their closest friends destroy their base bit by bit had taken its toll on them.

"What are we supposed to do? She knows everything we're about to do. She knows us."

Jack was about to respond but the klaxons cut him off. They hurried to the gate room, knowing any defenses were pointless if Hera wanted to attack.

It was Jacob, out of breath as if he'd run all the way.

"It's chaos out there! In the night Hera invaded Bastet's world. It was a massacre, everyone who wouldn't change their loyalties were completely wiped out. Women, children…"

"Oh God," Janet said sounding sick.

Jack felt just as ill but tried to stay professional. "What does this mean in the bigger picture?"

"Bastet had lots of naquadah that Hera now owns. The System Lords have been thrown into chaos. Even Baal's scared!"

"Well killing a Goa'uld is never a bad thing." Jack reasoned, trying to look on the bright side.

"Many of my brothers and sisters would have been killed. We must prevent another attack."

Everyone turned back to Jack; he always had the best, if stupid, ideas.

And all he could do was shrug.

Hera sat contentedly. In the past 24 hours, her army and land had almost doubled. She was still troubled though. At the sight of the Tau'ri, her host had begun shouting and struggling for control. Hera was actually surprised at the amount of curse words this human knew. Eventually the host would give up and remain silent. It was only a matter of time.


	7. Evinco

Evinco

Sam was still in shock. Her own hand had planted the bomb that might have killed her friends. The whole of Bastet's planet had been wiped out under her command. She had put her own team in prison. And now everyone she cared about could be dead or dying. Hera's next plan was even worse. The pure loathing and evil in Hera frightened Sam and she had seen a lot. At times Sam wondered if the Goa'uld hatred would corrupt her soul, so even if she was freed, she would still want to kill her friends. Maybe they would be better off if she was dead.

Jack struggled awake from his 10 minute nap in Sam's lab as the klaxons blared yet again. As soon as he had figured out what he noise was, he jumped up and ran to the gateroom.

"Déjà vu all over again," he muttered.

"Tokra IDC sir"

"Open the iris sergeant."

The iris opened and all hell broke loose.

Staff fire came through and narrowly missed an airman. More followed and Hammond was ready to shut the iris when Jacob stumbled into the room. He had blood pouring down his face and was clutching his side.

Dozens of other Tokra, some Jack recognized, some who were completely strange, raced behind him, bleeding.

Jacob managed to croak one word before passing out. "Hera"

Over the course of a morning, the SGCs abilities were put to the test. Hammond wouldn't shut the iris until the steady stream of injured Tokra had stopped. By this time, several of Hera's Jaffa's had come through the gate. There were medics trying to help the wounded, soldiers trying to kill the enemy and the rest of the personnel looking on in dismay.

By noon, all the people who could be saved were in the infirmary and all the Jaffa were dead. SG1 had spent the time racing around, trying to help where they could. Sheets covered the bodies and the air was full with moans of the wounded.

Their first stop was Jacob, who had quickly regained consciousness. Janet assured them that he would survive and the team went to speak with him. The ex-general was pale, shaking and looked older than ever.

"It was her, my Sammie… she killed them all."

"Jacob, we need to know what happened."

"I was in the tunnels when the gate activated. I ran to it and… Jaffa were through the base killing everyone. I tried to run and get help but she was there. She said I was a fool and should have seen it coming. Then she stabbed me and the next thing I knew, I was running for the gate. My daughter tried to kill me."

When Sam was younger, she had read that there were only three basic emotions: love, hate and fear. Being a hopeless romantic, she believed that love could conquer all. Despite her years in the Air Force and other planets, that belief had stayed strong. Now she knew it was a lie. Hera had ploughed relentlessly through her mind and found the address for the Tokra homeworld. She had sent her Jaffa into the tunnels and waited for any survivors.

Jacob was the first one out. He hadn't looked worried because this was his daughter. Sam wasn't worried because she loved her father and thought that was enough to save him.

Hera had heard of Jacob and the hatred she felt for him was enough to wipe everything else out.

Sam had felt the hate and she couldn't get rid of it. It spread through her veins until she began to hate him. She hated him for not being able to save her.

And when her arm brought down the knife, she was glad.

Hera had used her hatred to make her stronger. When the few survivors fled through the gate, there was no need to follow.

As she went back to her 'home' Sam realized the truth. **She** had killed those people.

With that, Samantha Carter did the only thing she could to save her soul. She gave up.

Author's Note: Please review!


	8. Eventus

Eventus

Author's Note:

I really want to thank everyone that has left a review, it's been wonderful. Special thanks go to the people who have stuck with my one chapter a week and still reviewed every chapter. Hopefully, the story will be worth it.

"This is all that's left of the Tokra?"

"There are a few scattered around the galaxy but yes, this is pretty much it."

The remains of the Tokra were injured and bedraggled, defeated in the true sense of the word. Jack was torn. His military sense told him to shove a nuke to Hera's homeworld and to hell with the consequences but his personal side wanted to crawl into a hole and stay there until this was all over.

"Do we have any idea of her movements?"

"Give us some time to contact the rest of our operatives then we'll know more."

"How long will that take?"

"With our people like this, I don't know." Jacob said with a sigh.

Hera was bored. Her troops were resting so she couldn't go and attack anyone, the Tokra had provided a pitiful resistance and even the Tauri were keeping their distance.

"Nil'ac, I am bored."

The devoted Jaffa bowed his head. "My lady, we did keep something in case you required entertainment."

Hera smiled. This was unexpected. "Bring it in."

An old, bleeding Tokra was dragged in and Hera's smile widened. Nil'ac would be well rewarded for this.

"Did you know you are the last of your race?"

Fear flickered in the old man's eyes. "You lie."

"I wiped them out myself. Heard their screams, tasted their blood."

"I don't believe you."

"That really doesn't matter." She flexed her fingers and aimed the ribbon device at the broken Tokra. "Soon you will beg for their fate."

After an hour, the Tokra was lying on the floor sobbing and Hera was feeling much better. She raised her hand again and the man cried out. "Enough! I will tell you what you want to know!"

Hera laughed; a cold sound that echoed around the stone room. "Your race is dead. You have no information I want."

The horror in his eyes was beautiful. "Then why are you doing this?"

"I was bored."

When the Tokra was dead, Hera sent for her most loyal. Nil'ac was apprehensive as he entered her quarters but he was willing to do what she wished.

"You sent for me, my lady?"

Hera stroked his face and he stepped closer, his head still bowed low.

"You admire my new body."

"It is hard not to, my queen"

She lifted his chin until they were looking eye to eye.

"Do you have a family?"

He was bolder now and answered eagerly, "I have a wife and three children."

"Do they love you?"

"Yes, and I them."

"Will they resent your betrayal of them?"

There was now only millimeters separating the two.

"It is not their choice to make."

"Good," Hera smiled before kissing him, "I didn't want to kill you."

When Hera arose, she saw that Nil'ac had remembered his place and had already left her chambers. She went to her window and saw hundreds of petty mortals, pandering to her every whim in an effort to extend their miserable existence. It was good, not having to share their worship with her weakling of a husband.

The look of horror and fear in the eyes of the "almighty Zeus" as she stabbed him was still a fond memory.

She dressed quickly and left her chambers without a backward glance. Today her Jaffa would be refreshed and a new day of destruction could begin.

Authors Note:

Sorry if the scene with Sam and Nil'ac was a bit icky. It made me squirm as well but that was just how the story developed. It was supposed to illustrate the difference between Hera and Sam. So it wasn't really Sam and Nil'ac but Hera and Nil'ac. I don't know if that makes it any better.


	9. Specialis

Specialis

Author's Note:

Thanks again for all the reviews; it really makes the hard work worth it. Enjoy!

It was 0800 and the normal crowd was in the briefing joined by a fully healed Jacob. He had spent most of the night going around the galaxy, trying to search out the rest of the Tokra and find out some news.

"Three of the Tokra passed away in the night," said Frasier with unkempt hair and dark shadows beneath her eyes. "We did our best but…"

"It's ok Doctor, "Hammond reassured, "How about the rest?"

"Most of them are fully healed and seeking revenge."

"They will have to stay here until the situation is resolved."

Jacob flinched at his daughter being described as a "situation" but he gave his report.

"I couldn't find any Tokra. I did find out that Hera is planning a trip to PX3-449."

"I don't think we've been there." Daniel mused.

"So we go there, interrupt her and stop her." Jack stated.

Hammond frowned, "Maybe we should be more careful after last time."

"Come on sir! She has no idea we're after her. This could be our best chance!"

Hammond still looked wary. "We've lost seven good men to Hera, I don't want to lose any more"

"Please George, she's my daughter."

"I can't let you search for Hera again."

Everyone at the table visibly sank.

"But, I can send you there to look for naquadah. If you run into Hera, it's out of my control."

PX3-449 was completely barren as far as the eye could see. There was no sound and no movement.

"When was she supposed to get here?"

"My source said about 1100."

"That's less than two hours from now so I guess we wait."

They spent the time teaching Teal'c to pay poker. Unsurprisingly, he proved to be very good at bluffing.

After losing a third pile of the matches to the Jaffa, Jack threw his cards down in disgust. "Could we have missed her?"

"I don't see how. Nobody's come through the gate and we would've heard a ship."

"Maybe there was a mistake with the information." Daniel suggested.

"My source has always been reliable."

"Don't know if you've noticed Jacob but times are changing."

At that moment the gate jumped to life. The team all leapt to their feet, there not being anywhere for them to take cover.

A MALP slowly trundled its way through the blue puddle.

"This can't be good."

A distorted voice, heavy with emotion filtered from the machine.

"SG1, there's been a communication error. Come back immediately."

"Oh my God," Frasier said, turning away.

Jack wanted to do the same but his eyes were drawn to the photos on the table in front of him.

"These were taken ten minutes ago. Hera set us up. She leaked false information…"

"She knew we'd go to the planet while she was free to do what she wanted. Oh Sammie…"

Nobody wanted to disturb the older man's grief but there were other concerns. Namely the destruction of an entire planet.

"I believe there was a great deal of naquadah on that planet."

"It's awful." Daniel choked out.

"I think we should consider calling on one our allies."

At this point Jack started fidgeting in his chair.

"Jack?"

"What?"

"If there's something you need to tell us, please feel free."

"Um, when this all started, I tried to contact the Asgard."

"And?"

"There was no response."

Everyone sighed and Hammond eyed Jack sharply. "Why didn't I get a form requesting the use of the communicator?"

"I didn't think you'd let me. And I didn't want you going all gung-ho on Carter."  
"It's not Sam anymore." Daniel said quietly.

"General Carter. Knowing her best, do you have some idea of Hera's next move?"

Jacob looked shamefaced. "I was never there for Sam. After her mother's death, I didn't have any real talks with her and she just…pulled away. I don't know what she's thinking."

"I am going to send all available teams to search for her. But you are on downtime and I want all of you to see Dr MacKenzie as well. That's an order."

Author's Note

Only a couple of chapters left! MacKenzie is the psychiatric specialist at the SGC in case anyone forgot.


	10. Feriae

Feriae

In Dr MacKenzie's office, Jack was ten minutes into his "consultation" and it was not going well.

"So, how do you feel about Major Carter being taken as a host?"

"How do you think I feel?"

"Why don't you tell me?"

"I'm her CO. I was supposed to protect her. And now she's host to the thing she hates the most and you know the worst thing?"

"What?"

"I know that she'd rather be dead than this. And I can't even get close enough to do that."

"How did it go?" Daniel asked as Jack strode past him in the locker room and started shoving clothes into a duffel bag. "Ah, not great then."

"I have to take a week off. Banned from coming in. Damn doctors."

"Jack. There's nothing you can do here. Besides, if she does decide to attack, it'll be best to get out of here."

Jack smiled wryly. "If Hera decides to attack, it doesn't matter how far away I am."

"We will save Sam right?" the archeologist asked.

"Of course. That's what we do."

Two hours and five beers later, Jack was feeling a lot less optimistic. He had always been wary of Sam. Not of her intentions because they were as honest as you could get. But ever since she had put on that hand device to fight Seth, the potential had been there. She had completely pulverized the fake god without even meaning to. Now she had the potential and the intent.

Jack spent the week moping around, doing odd jobs to fill the time he didn't spend ringing the SGC for updates. Hera appeared to be biding her time; taking over smaller planets and slowly amassing her forces but not enough for immediate concern.

On the morning of his return Jack woke up and was on his way to work two hours earlier than normal. He didn't think Hera's uncharacteristic caution was a good sign and he wanted to be around when something did happen. Which, knowing his luck, would probably be sooner than later.

When Jack did get on the base, he was surprised to find Daniel in his office surrounded by books.

"And I thought I was early."

Daniel glanced up. "I...er…I didn't really leave."

"What are you doing?"

"There has to be something in one of these books to help Sam. I just need to find it."

Hammond came in at that moment and Jack jumped up.

"At ease. I need to talk to both of you."

The three men sat down and Hammond sighed. "I know Sam is very…important to you. The time may come when you have to put those feelings aside."

"What are you trying to say?"

"The President has just authorized the use of any and all forces to take her down."

Jack sat in frozen contemplation long after Hammond had left. The thought of his second in command, a member of his team, being killed horrified him. The thought that he would probably have to be the one to pull the trigger made it even worse.

After Hammond left, SG1 spent their day pouring through books for anything that could possibly help their teammate. At some point, one of the men would leave to grab some food or stretch their legs but they always returned.

Some time later General Hammond walked past and saw the exhausted men

"How long have you been at this?"

Everyone instantly jumped to attention as Daniel answered, "About five hours."

"Did you find anything?"

"Not as such, no." Jack said, with defeat in his voice.

"I did find some information that could help."

The rest of the room turned to look at the Jaffa.

"A great deal of the books that I read came to the same conclusion. There have been several reports of the hosts overcoming weak or injured Goa'uld. All of these suggest appealing directly to the host."

Jack sighed in frustration, "We already know this T."

"Yes, but while reading these accounts a new idea became apparent to me. We have not yet tried other technology."

"What do you mean?" General Hammond queried.

"When Cronus sent an Ashrak after Jolinar, he used a hara'kesh. While this killed the parasite within Major Carter, the host still lived."

Daniel thought about it. "Yes, but only because Jolinar gave her life to save Sam."

"If we could use the hara'kesh on Hera, it could weaken the parasite long enough for Major Carter to regain control."

"Could this work Doctor Jackson?" Hammond asked.

"Possibly, but it's only theoretical. Do we even have a hara'kesh?"

"It was sent to Area 51 after the Jolinar incident. Nobody there could make it work and Major Carter refused to even try."

"Can you blame her?" Jack muttered.

Hammond chose to ignore this comment and moved on, "If I can get this…weapon, who will use it?"

Teal'c again replied. "Surely General Carter would be the ideal choice?"

"I'm not sure if Jacob would want to torture his own daughter, even if she is a host now."

"I believe that General Carter has the strength of mind to do whatever is necessary to return his daughter and prevent the destruction of the galaxy."

Hammond sighed, "You're probably right. He's back with the Tok'ra now. I'll send a message asking him to come back."

Jacob Carter was soon briefed on Teal'c's idea and, although he didn't like it, he realized that it was the best idea that they had. They spent an hour in the briefing room talking about how to get the hara'kesh and how to practice using it until Jack spoke up.

"Okay, I'm going to ask the question that nobody else seems to want to. How the hell do we get close enough to Hera without her killing us?"

Surprisingly, it was Janet who answered, "She hasn't killed us so far and we've encountered her several times."

"Hate to disappoint you Doc, but she just kills other people. I would prefer that didn't happen."

"Maybe if we take her by surprise…" Daniel suggested.

"Jeez, Daniel, when is this gonna sink in? You can't surprise her. It's Carter! God knows what kind of traps and machines she's got working for her now. The only reason we're not dead is because she doesn't want us dead!"

There was silence at Jack's words, as if nobody had dared think of this idea.

"She wouldn't kill us." Jacob said, in a shaky voice.

"For Pete's sake. Can I be excused General?"

Hammond eyed Jack carefully, "Yes you can go but I want to speak to you later."

"Sure. Fine. Whatever."

Hera rose from her luxurious bed early. She hadn't been able to sleep or eat in the past couple of days. She had destroyed three civilizations in two days and she didn't really feel anything. Even when the inhabitants were pleading for their lives, she couldn't work up any enthusiasm and received little enjoyment. This troubled her. In the past, the mere sight of blood would satisfy her for days but now, nothing. At first she thought it was an illness that her host's body had hidden from her but after a thorough check, found the body to be in prime condition. Even the host had stopped struggling.

There was just this nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach. The feeling stopped her from enjoying the mayhem and making her question whether it was actually necessary.

Then it hit her. Was she feeling guilt? Were filthy Tau'ri emotions affecting her?

Now she was scared. How could this be?

Hera stormed out of her quarters, bellowing for her Jaffa. One appeared almost immediately, despite the early hour.

"What is it you require, my queen?"

"I want a new host."

"A new host? You only received that one a few weeks ago."

"I know. It displeases me now."

"May I ask why?"  
"I am your goddess! You question nothing I do!"

Instantly, the Jaffa knelt at her feet trembling.

How dare this mere Jaffa question her word? It was the host. She was causing these feelings and making the Jaffa query her.

The only way that Hera knew to subdue a host was to commit acts that the host could not comprehend. Settled on a plan, Hera now called for Nil'ac.

When he came, she made her plans clear.

"Lock this Jaffa away. Torture and then kill him to make him learn some respect."

"Of course, my queen."

"And Nil'ac?"

"Yes, my queen?"

"Prepare the troops. We invade the Tau'ri tomorrow.

Authors Note

Do you hate me for leaving it on that cliffhanger? I am sorry but the next chapter is the last one of the story and hopefully it will clear things up. Or will it?


	11. Denique

Denique

_Author's note: This is it guys. Are you ready?_

Samantha Carter raised her head when Hera spoke of her next invasion. Not enough to alert the parasite to her presence but enough to listen. She was weak and tired, disgusted at the acts her own hands had brought about but maybe now she had a chance to change that. She remembered how the hope at seeing Jack had allowed her to take control. Could she possibly make this work again? It would take much more strength but she believed that she could do it. The surge of new hope made the Goa'uld squirm and Sam restrained herself.

When Hera attacked tomorrow, she was only planning on taking over the SGC, the main threat to her. That meant there would be only a small percentage of her Jaffa there. If there was ever a time to regain control over her own body, this would be it.

Dawn found Hera pacing in front of her troops, deciding which to take through the Stargate with her.

"Today is a wonderful day. It will be the day when I crush the Tau'ri who have infuriated the gods for too long."

She selected the best two dozen of her Jaffa and smiled when Nil'ac tried to protest.

"My lady, will you not need more?"

"We have already wiped out the Tok'ra with only a dozen Jaffa. My host came from the Tau'ri. I know their strengths and weaknesses. We won't need more than this. You stay here and lead the others in my absence. I appreciate your concern but respect my orders."

"Of course. I apologise, my queen."

"I will lead the way through to the Tau'ri world. When you get there, kill everything that moves."

With the device on her arm, Hera opened the Stargate and the onslaught began.

Jack O' Neil sat in the control room, bored. He had received his questioning from Hammond about his behaviour and been lectured about "letting personal feelings get in the way of a crisis."

When the alarms blared, he jumped to his feet, fearing the worst. The iris came down but, sure enough, it strained back open again. Soldiers leapt into action and started firing as soon as Hera came through. As before, she waved them aside with her hand device and continued walking casually through the gate room. Chaos reigned as dozens of Jaffa poured through behind her, shooting at the soldiers struggling to get to their feet.

Even more alarms sounded as the whole of the SGC grabbed some weapons from the armoury and joined in the fray.

When Jack arrived, with weapons and armour, it was worse than he could have imagined. Colleagues, friends, lay on the floor bleeding and dying. Hera was laughing manically, covered in blood. It dripped down her face but she was relishing it, even tasting it. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Teal'c fire a zat at the Goa'uld, only to see the energy fade uselessly once it reached her shield. Daniel and Jacob had joined in the fighting as well while Janet tried frantically to tend to the injured. Hammond was desperately trying to shout orders that went unheard in the chaos.

Jacob aimed the newly acquired hara'kesh at his daughter's body and flinched when she screamed in pain. It had apparently managed to penetrate the shield and was having the affect they had all hoped.

Her agonized screams destroyed Jack inside and he took his frustrations out on a passing Jaffa, killing him with a spray of well-placed bullets.

After a minute, Hera waved her arm wildly. The move reactivated the hand device and hurled Jacob through the glass in the control room where he disappeared from sight. A wild hope struck Jack; maybe the hara'kesh had weakened Hera's shield. He drew his pistol and moved towards the "goddess", avoiding staff blasts as he went. Carefully, he aimed for the palm of her right hand. If he could destroy the hand device, there was a chance they could win and save Sam.

The pain from the hara'kesh was blinding. It took Sam back to when she had been possessed by Jolinar and suddenly, she found some of the Tok'ra's strength. When she looked up, it was her that saw the destruction, not Hera. The joy that rose inside her gave her even more strength and battered down the fighting Goa'uld in her body. She had control, not the parasite. Sam saw her friends, all of them, fighting bravely. Daniel barely missed a staff blast, Teal'c had a serious burn to his shoulder but they werestill fighting. They were all fighting, maybe for an opening to free her.

Now she had full reign over her own body but she could feel the Goa'uld struggling against her. Sam panicked. She had no way to stop Hera from overcoming; the Goa'uld was just more powerful. Then she saw Jack coming towards her with a gun aimed at the hand device and the solution became incredibly simple.

Jack saw Sam look at him and he knew it was her, not Hera. Then she lowered her hand and deactivated the hand device but it was too late. He had fired the gun. As if in slow motion, the bullet traveled in the exact direction he had wanted it to go. But her hand wasn't there anymore. The tiny piece of metal that looked so harmless embedded itself directly in Sam's chest.

With Hera out of action, the tide was swiftly turned. The Jaffa were quickly killed and the iris resealed. Soldiers made their way to the infirmary with the medical staff close behind.

Daniel ran over to where Sam was laying and Teal'c quickly followed, both ignoring their own injuries. Jack stood frozen with the gun still raised. He couldn't quite believe what he had just done. He didn't mean to hurt her.

The bullet hadn't hurt when it hit her; it had just seemed like a dull thud. Now it burned deep within her chest and made it difficult for her to breathe. Although it took a lot of energy, she fought Hera, who was trying to heal her body. If the Goa'uld couldn't heal it, they would both die. She registered Daniel and Teal'c next to her and it soothed her. She wouldn't think about her father, he could be dead because of her.

Jack moved closer towards them, his lips moving uselessly. He was trying to apologise and, despite the circumstances, she smiled. Even when he had done the right thing, he still felt the need to ask for forgiveness.

His eyes were glued to the crimson liquid, staining the front of her gown. It was spreading at an impossible rate but she was smiling.

She spoke and he knelt at her side in order to hear her better.

"It's okay," she whispered, "You did what you had to."

"Sam," he said hoarsely, "I'm so sorry."

"Why? You saved the galaxy. Again."

"Medic!" Daniel screamed but everyone was occupied.

A cough racked her body and her smile flickered. A thin trail of blood oozed its way through her lips and down her chin.

"Oops," she laughed, "Isn't that a sign of internal bleeding?"

"Teal'c, go and find Jacob. Bring him here with the healing device."

The Jaffa bowed briefly and sped off with only a backwards glance at his fallen teammate.

"I think I killed him, sir."

"What? Kill Jacob? It would take a whole lot more than you to kill that old Tokra. I don't want to hear you being negative, okay?"

"Yes, sir."

Teal'c reappeared at Jack's shoulder. "General Carter is currently receiving medical treatment. Dr Frasier was very abrupt when I questioned as to his progress."

"Great," Jack muttered.

"I'm really, really sorry for…everything."

"Sam, don't be stupid. It wasn't you." Daniel said, desperately trying to reassure his friend.

"Yes, but I couldn't stop her."

"Come on Carter. Don't beat yourself up about it. It's a Goa'uld."

With that, her eyes opened in realization. "I have her memories! I know all kinds of things that can help. Daniel, get some paper."

"Jeez, Carter. Already trying to get back to work? It can wait until you're better."

She spit out a mouthful of blood. "What if I…"

"No Carter! Do not even finish that sentence!"

"Yes, sir."

Her eyelids fluttered, as if they were too heavy to hold up.

"Major Carter, I do believe you should remain awake."

She made more of an effort at Teal'c's words. "I'm just tired. That's all."

Jack knew they must make an odd sight. The flagship team of the SGC cradling the person who just tried to kill them all.

Samantha Carter was tired. More tired then she could ever remember being. It drained her just to speak or open her eyes. Through this exhaustion, she still felt a loss: and it made her smile.

"She's dead."

"What?" Daniel asked with quiet confusion.

"Hera. She's dead."

Although the demise of the parasite gave her an overwhelming sense of relief that her body was finally hers again, it also saddened her. The scientific part of her mind knew that with the damage of a bullet and without the healing powers of the Goa'uld, she would probably die. The moral part of her mind told her that she deserved to die. Painfully. She had killed, tortured and mutilated thousands of innocent people. But the bigger part of her didn't want to die.

Her teammates, no _friends_, were around her. Supporting her as always. Panic began to fill her bloodstream. She had so much to say, what if she never got the chance again?

"Jack…"

Jack breathed a sigh of relief as Janet Frasier made her way with a gurney to the blonde. He ignored what Sam was trying to say. It could wait until she was better. He tried to block out the part of his brain that was screaming, _"What if she doesn't get better?"_

The medical team moved swiftly and Carter was soon hidden beneath wires and machines.

As the gurney sped off, the three men stood up, all covered in blood, only some of it their own. Jack could hear frantic beeping, the type that came from a failing heart monitor but he told himself it was someone else's.

"She is going to be okay, right Jack?"

"Sure she is. It's Carter."

But he still couldn't get rid of the nagging voice in his head telling him that she was already dead.

_Author's Note: My first fanfiction posted and completed. Please don't kill me! There is a sequel that I can post if anyone wants it but if this ends the story well and you don't a sequel, that's fine. Thank you so much to everyone that posted reviews, I wouldn't have finished this without you guys. _


End file.
